‘A Dog Story' plays Morristown's Bickford through April 22

It’s time for the County College of Morris spring production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies,” with a cast that includes CCM student Kara Byrnes performing for the first time with her mother, Janine. April 5, 2018. William Westhoven/Dailyrecord.com
William Westhoven

"A Dog Life," a romantic musical comedy with songs by Gayla Morgan (shown), will have its NJ premiere at the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum starting April 6. The show centers on Ronald, a lawyer who gets a dog as a way to find a wife but who gets something different than(Photo11: David Perlman Photography.)

Ronald’s life as a lawyer is right on track. But he wants to be made a partner. To do that, he thinks he needs a wife. To get a wife, he thinks he needs – a dog?

However, once Ronald actually gets his pet (appropriately named “Cupid”), he finds that life and love are a little more complicated than he had anticipated.

The comic entanglements that Ronald encounters are the heart of “A Dog Story.” The musical comedy will receive its New Jersey premiere production at the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum from Thursday, April 12 through Sunday, April 22.

Ronald’s story may have many twists and turns, but the creation of “A Dog Story” was almost magically easy, according to composer and lyricist Gayla D. Morgan.

Since it debuted in Key West, FL, in 2014, “A Dog Story” has been staged numerous times, notably in an eleven-week off-Broadway run in 2016 and 2017.

A cast album has been released, and the show has been translated into other languages (including, to Morgan’s delight, Hungarian).

Morgan will be at the opening party at the Bickford on April 13 and the talk-back session on April 19. But she said that one aspect of “A Dog Story” is bittersweet: the fact that the book’s writer, Eric H. Weinberger, will be unable to attend. He died in 2017.

“Eric and I had a dream relationship,” said Morgan. “Nobody ever had a bad thing to say about Eric. He was honest but kind. We would spend hours on the phone talking about the show, and it was fun.”

Morgan and Weinberger had more than 10 years ago when both were based in the New York City area. Both were involved in a musical theater workshop and had an appreciation for each other’s work.

Four years later, Morgan was in Key West. She was walking her dog along the waterfront when she ran into Weinberger, who was there with his fiancé (later husband), Stephen Sagman.

Having reconnected, Weinberger suggested that he and Morgan collaborate. “Eric approached me with three ideas and asked which one interested me most,” Morgan said. “I had been a legal secretary, and I love dogs, so I chose ‘A Dog Story.’”

Morgan said that the show’s premise demanded a particular type of song that was somewhat unusual for her. “I’ve done epic and serious shows about epic and serious themes,” she said. (One of her current projects is a musical about Mary Magdalene.)

“I have a classical background, and I’m drawn to minor key,” she said. “But Eric wrote a charming story, and the songs had to reflect that. They had to be light and airy.”

Morgan said she deeply gratified by the response to “A Dog Story.” “I’m thrilled that audiences love it,” she said. “I’m thrilled that critics love it. I’ve heard people leaving the theater humming the tunes, and that means so much to a composer.”

“A Dog Story” has an enthusiastic fan in producing artistic director Eric Hafen, who is directing the Bickford production. “Reading this entrancing, positive new musical made me smile,” he wrote in an e-mail.

“Hearing the music made me laugh and love,” added Hafen. “Everyone knows that a dog can be emotionally transforming to the soul.”

The Bickford production stars Daniel Robert Sullivan as Ronald. The cast also includes Shabazz Green, Clare Fitzgerald, and Allie Ambriano. Stephanie Lindley serves as the music director, and the choreography is by Laurie Piro.

Morgan noted that, its title notwithstanding, “A Dog Story” is not mainly about the canine. “This is about a man who finds out there is more to life than work and success,” she said. “He opens his heart.”

That emotional connection is what Morgan hopes audiences will understand. “For me, this show is about making an audience feel happiness and joy,” she said.

IF YOU WANT TO GO:

“A DOG STORY”

WHAT: Musical romantic comedy by the late Eric H. Weinberger (book) and Gayla D. Morgan (songs) centers on a career-minded lawyer who gets a dog as a way to meet a wife, which he thinks he needs to be made partner.

WHEN: April 12 through 22

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12 and 19

2 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19 (Chat with cast and crew after 7:30 show)

8 p.m. Fridays, April 13 (opening night party with cast and crew) and 20